I found WIK▲N through the usual Soundcloud band associations, click through, click through, and then a gem emerges. This is interesting stuff, new Witch House sounds that groove nicely and occupy a spaced out realm that borrows from old ambient stuff and progressive electronica and mashes in some chillwave elements. It’s dreamy and beautiful, droney and dark, perfect sounds to lose yourself in for an hour or so. Occult ambience and fuzzed out dirges to soundtrack ceremonies in ruined churches!

We need the return of chill-out rooms at clubs/raves/squat parties like they used to have back in the day, so much Witch House and chillwave is just crying out for that kind of club experience, clubbers crashed out on cushions and piles of coats, drifting away in a haze of drones and haunted downtempo beats, séance circles forming spontaneously amongst the crowd and palm readings taking place in corners in exchange for chicken bones and raw crystals.

D▲WN SHROUD by WIK▲N

WIK▲N also seems to have a full blown triangle obsession and occult theme going on. Listen to some of these song titles; “BL▲CK SUN RITU▲L”, “ILLEG▲L GR▲VE MUSIC”, “D▲WN SHROUD”. This is someone who has jumped feet first into the genre and made it their own.

The imagery and titles reflect a Northern European take on things, somewhat Nordic in its references: caves and stones circles and burial chambers. May be unsurprisingly then that WIK▲N comes from the UK (I’m guessing that when someone lists a non weird country as their origin it probably isn’t a lie!)

ST▲NTON MOOR by WIK▲N
BL▲CK SUN RITU▲L by WIK▲N

According to the always useful Witch House forum, WIK▲N, due to high demand, is bringing out a four track EP sometime between now and March, maybe even on CD/Vinyl. Go check out the Soundcloud page to download nearly all of the tracks for free and check out this live mix from a recent party WIK▲N Djed.

It’s one of the best Witch House/chillwave mixes I’ve heard in terms of the cross section of bands included on it, everyone from oOoOO and GuMMy†Be▲R to Blackbird Blackbird, Raw Moans and Balam Acab.  (Track listing is here)

- Fokkawolfe